How to Smell like Jesus

A few years ago I did a series of talks for a youth camp called "How to Smell Like Jesus." The idea came from 2 Corinthians 15, where Paul writes, "Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God."

How might we become people that smell like Jesus, I asked, so that we can make the world a little more beautiful, and so that others around us will begin to notice the sweet fragrance? The goal, I told those teenagers, is for people to come up to them and ask, "What is that heavenly aroma?" I know, this might seem a bit of a stretch of the imagination if you happen to know any teenage boys....

Can you think of any people in your life who give off this kind of Christ-fragrance? I can.

But unfortunately, I can also think of some Christians who give off an entirely different kind of smell. Matthew Paul Turner agrees, in his book "Relearning Jesus"...

"Most of the weirdest things I have encountered in my life have 'Christian' written on them.... The stench of Christians is revealed more through evangelism than anything else. I smell it often, the scent of misplaced words and poor, inexcusable timing. When mixed with uninterested patrons it becomes an especially nasty odor."

Hands up if you've smelt that one.

I was going to go on to give some ways of becoming a less nasty and more heavenly fragrance, but I think I might leave that for another post. For now let's stick with this question:

When do you think Christians smell the worst? Or if you'd rather not dwell on the negative: When have you seen someone doing something that had an undeniable Jesus-aroma to it?

Love to hear your thoughts!